Goldschmidt raises funds for Children's Hospital

By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

DENVER -- D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt does not like to bring attention to himself, but there is one big exception -- when it benefits Phoenix Children's Hospital.

As a way to raise money for the hospital, Goldschmidt and his wife, Amy, have started Goldy's Fund 4 Kids, which supports programs that continue to lift the spirits of the hospital's patients and families.

Last September he was able to raise $100,000 with a limited-edition print, and this year fans who donate at least $44 to the fund will receive a limited-edition 10-inch Paul Goldschmidt "Bleacher Creature."

"It was pretty unbelievable," Goldschmidt said of the money raised last year with the print. "It just goes to show you the great fan support we have here. The support was overwhelming and I was so grateful for it. It goes to such a good cause. To build on that, we had the idea of coming up with a Bleacher Creature."

Goldschmidt became involved with Phoenix Children's Hospital after his 2011 rookie season when he ran into a high-ranking member of the hospital's foundation at a golf tournament. After talking it over with Amy, they decided to make Phoenix Children's Hospital the main focus of their charity efforts, and a week later they signed up to be volunteers.

Goldschmidt shuns publicity for his visits except in those cases where he thinks it will help the hospital's efforts.

"The kids are really an inspiration," he said. "You go and hang out with them, and no matter what it is they're dealing with they always seem to have a smile on their face, they're so positive. They just want to hang out and play a board game or a video game or talk about baseball. So many times we can get caught up in the little things in our lives and get upset about a call on the field or something off the field that really isn't that big of a deal and just to see how positive the kids and their families are, it's had a huge impact on me. It's just been a great place to get involved with."

Pennington lands on DL; Gregorius called up

DENVER -- Another day, another injury for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cliff Pennington was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained ligament in his left thumb and the D-backs recalled infielder Didi Gregorius from Triple-A Reno to take his place.

Pennington's injury will require surgery, according to D-backs manager Kirk Gibson, and the shortstop is expected to be out six to eight weeks. The Pennington news came one day after outfielder A.J. Pollock had surgery to insert pins and a plate in his fractured right hand. He, too, is expected to miss up to eight weeks.

Gregorius lost out to Chris Owings in the Spring Training battle for the starting shortstop job.

"Of course you're going to feel disappointed, but what are you going to do?" Gregorius said. "If you're going to stay bitter and be all disappointed it's going to drag you down. I just decided to look forward and try to get better. Stuff happens, nobody's perfect and you've just got to make some adjustments and go from there."

Gregorius, who was the starter at shortstop most of last season, played well for Reno, hitting .310 with 14 doubles, four triples and three home runs.

"I'm just going to look at it as the same thing I was doing down there, just another level," Gregorius said. "I'm just going to play ball and try to bring good luck to the team, just try to the best I can on and off the field. It's really awesome just to be back here."

Gibson said he has not decided yet how he will split up playing time at shortstop, but he indicated that Gregorius could see some time at second when Aaron Hill gets a day off. Gregorius played 38 games at second for Reno and 19 at short.

Goldschmidt gets rare night off vs. Rockies

DENVER -- After the team landed in Denver on Monday night, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson sent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt a text message to let him know he would not be in the starting lineup for Tuesday night's series opener with the Rockies.

It is the first time this year that Goldschmidt has not been in the lineup snapping his streak of starts at 59, one shy of Travis Lee's club record of 60 by a first baseman in 1998.

"I thought it was the right thing to do," Gibson said of the decision. "We've been talking about it for some time."

Taking Goldschmidt's bat out of a lineup that has struggled to score runs is not something Gibson does lightly, but recently he said he's seen signs that Goldschmidt is tiring.

With Monday a day off for the team, it meant that Goldschmidt would get two straight days off, not that he would say he needed them.

"I think you always want to play, but obviously we have other guys on the team who are very capable of playing, too, and the manager makes that decision, so it's understandable," Goldschmidt said. "I mean what are the chances you're going to play every game? But nobody is ever going to say, 'Yeah I need a day off or I want a day off.' It can be helpful, it's a long season, so there's that part of it, too."

Did he try to lobby Gibson to play?

"He's making decisions that are best for the team or best for me individually so you can't argue with that," Goldschmidt said. "He's not doing anything that he doesn't think will give us the best chance to win."

Nick Evans started in Goldschmidt's place, his first start since being called up from Triple-A Reno last week.